Daybreak by Chris Niles

Author:Chris Niles [Niles, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

ANNA PARKED AT a shopping mall several blocks from Andrei's address. She surveyed the small arsenal in Stahl's trunk, tucking a .22 and a small folding knife into her waistband.

She walked up the residential street, shaded by full, leafy trees with whitewashed trunks.

Any other day, this would be a pleasant walk. Bright green leaves popped against a clear, blue sky. A light breeze ruffled the branches, blowing across her skin, cooling her as she walked. The sidewalk heaved where roots crept across it, cracking and lifting chunks of crumbling concrete.

But here, the age was charming rather than desperate.

Brick walls encircled tiny yards. Ivy and honeysuckle climbed and covered the walls, where arched gates led to small courtyards filled with trellises covered with grapes or more ivy.

Anna thought about the families living here, no different from those in America. They spoke a different language, but their day-to-day was mostly the same. They slept and went to work or school. They cooked meals and shared them. Parents wanted a better life for their children — education and opportunity.

People were the same everywhere, really.

Anna watched a heavy-set, middle-aged woman hanging laundry to dry on a clothesline at the end of one yard. Three boys kicked a soccer ball in the street, scurrying to the sidewalk to let the occasional car pass.

What a place to hide a kidnapped girl. Right in the middle of normal life.

Anna peeked over walls as she walked. Most of the houses appeared to have been built around the same time and seemed to follow similar layouts. She saw in a few open windows. Living room and a bedroom to the front. Kitchen near the rear entrance to the courtyard. Low roof. No attic or basement. Small garden shed in the back corner.

Going in cold was a risk. Anna had no intel beyond what she could assume based on the neighborhood. She had an old picture of the child, and no description of the man who might be holding her. No idea how many guards he might have. No backup. And no choice.

If Nikolai Kozlov was right, pursuit was Anna's only option. She couldn't detain and interrogate Kozlov without signaling to Rahsvyets, at which point they'd accelerate the attacks. She needed to keep him on her side and rescue Katya in a way that didn't blow Kozlov's cover.

Anna visualized scenarios while strolling the street and buying time. She imagined every word, move, and response, choosing the approach with the lowest chance of failing miserably.

Anna reached up and pulled her hair from its ponytail, fluffing it out full, thick, and wavy across her shoulders. After adding a touch of lipstick, she slipped a cheap smartphone into the back pocket of her jeans then adjusted her jacket to make sure it covered her weapons.

She opened the gate and peeked into the courtyard. "Zdrasvootye? Hello?"

No guards outside.

Anna stepped through the gate, leaving it ajar behind her.

"Hello?"

She walked the path through the courtyard, scanning the small area. It seemed to be a normal home.

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